Senior Sales Representative

Career Area:

Job Description:

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.

When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other.  We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

At Caterpillar, we're committed to our customers, who build a better, more sustainable world with our products, services and solutions. We understand and show the value of why they should choose us. We're exploring new ideas and opportunities – innovating to discover the breakthroughs necessary for tomorrow's growth. Through it all, we are one team– creating and delivering world-class products, services and solutions superior to the competition. Learn more about the Caterpillar Experience.

About Customer Solutions Growth Regions Division

This team, alongside dealers, engages closely with customers to create, customize, and adapt solutions to meet their needs by leveraging the extensive range of offerings available today—across products and services, digital and technology, rental and used, and financing.

The division is regionally focused on Africa, the Middle East, Eurasia, Asia (excluding Japan), and Latin America (LATAM) and organized into three functional areas: Customer Facing, Customer Solutions, and Business Enablers.

This role is part of the Customer Facing team, the engine of our business—driving growth by delivering tailored, territory-specific solutions that solve customer pain points, accelerate decision-making, and enable profitable sales execution.

Role Definition:
Lead and manage dealers' relationships to market company products and services and assists in the development of dealer sales capability.

What You Will Do:

• Understanding of business model and acting within the business process guidance on review and approval for variance programs and commercial actions.

• Designing and assisting dealers on the forecast, sales strategy planning, and sales techniques; supporting the rollout of new products.

• Performing regular sales performance reviews with dealers and ensuring implementation of corrective actions where needed.

• Leading the selling opportunities identification, customer satisfaction improvement and business relationship enhancement.

What Will Put You Ahead (Preferred Skills):

• Mechanical Engineering qualification or equivalent experience in the field

• Minimum 5 years' experience in Sales and Marketing within the paving or heavy equipment Industry.

• Strong commercial background combined with high level of technical understanding of heavy machineries.

• Demonstrated expertise and experience working in African regions

• Fluent in French and English.

What You Have (Basic Skills Required):

Customer Focus:

Knowledge of the values and practices that align customer needs and satisfaction as primary considerations in all business decisions and ability to leverage that information in creating customized customer solutions.

Level Extensive Experience: 

• Fosters strong customer relationships via delivery on commitments, open communication, and on-going feedback/improvement.

• Advises others on creating customer focused environments in various scenarios.

• Anticipates customer needs, focusing efforts to proactively meet needs and exceed customer expectations.

Industry Knowledge:

Knowledge of the Paving products, trends, directions, major issues and trendsetters; ability to apply industry knowledge appropriately to diverse situations.

Level Working Knowledge: 

• Understanding the customers need and offer the right Paving products / model and services for specific jobsite requirement. 

• Currently works with a major industry segment and associated functions and features.

Decision Making and Critical Thinking:

Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.

Level Extensive Experience: 

• Differentiates assumptions, perspectives, and historical frameworks.

• Evaluates past decisions for insights to improve decision-making process.

• Assesses and validates decision options and points and predicts their potential impact.

• Advises others in analyzing and synthesizing relevant data and assessing alternatives.

• Uses effective decision-making approaches such as consultative, command, or consensus.

• Ensures that assumptions and received wisdom are objectively analyzed in decisions.

Effective Communications:

Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors.

Level Extensive Experience: 

• Reviews others' writing or presentations and provides feedback and coaching.

• Adapts documents and presentations for the intended audience.

• Demonstrates both empathy and assertiveness when communicating a need or defending a position.

• Communicates well downward, upward, and outward.

• Employs appropriate methods of persuasion when soliciting agreement.

• Maintains focus on the topic at hand.

Negotiating:

Knowledge of successful negotiation concepts and techniques; ability to negotiate successfully across the organization and with external vendors and clients in a constructive and collaborative manner.

Level Working Knowledge: 

• Works to achieve win-win in negotiations, rather than taking a win-lose approach.

• Focuses on issues rather than personalities.

• Uses active listening and probing techniques to surface problems, issues, and interests.

• Demonstrates a willingness to examine own position.

• Presents own position and listens attentively to position of others.

Relationship Management:

Knowledge of relationship management techniques; ability to establish and maintain healthy working relationships with clients, vendors, and peers.

Level Extensive Experience: 

• Communicates to clients regarding expectations of all parties.

• Participates in negotiating the terms of the business relationship.

• Conducts periodic reviews of work effort, progress, issues, and successes.

• Maintains productive, long-term relationships with clients or vendors.

• Creates opportunities to educate support teams on client priorities.

• Empowers others to establish collaborative, healthy relationships.

Business Development:

Knowledge of business development tools, techniques and approaches; ability to explore and develop potential areas of business growth for the organization.

Level Working Knowledge: 

• Summarizes the stages of the business development lifecycle.

• Assists in developing new geographical areas for the organization's products or services.

• Implements common business development incentive programs.

• Assists in creating an incentive plan to encourage new business growth and development.

• Research approaches for exploring new business opportunities.

Value Selling:

Knowledge of the principles and practices for selling products, technology and services; ability to provide overall product/service 'value' and to differentiate support offerings that address clearly understood customer needs.

Level Extensive Experience: 

• Acquires and retains customers in multiple settings using 'value selling' techniques.

• Coaches others on the application of 'value selling' principles and practices.

• Delivers value-added services to customers beyond delivery of a purchased product, technology or service consistently.

• Qualifies sales prospects based on a clear understanding of customer business needs and the service company's determined ability to meet those needs.

• Solicits feedback from the customer community as a valued service provider.

• Teaches and coaches 'value selling' to others within the organization.

Additional Information:

• Must be able to travel up to 60% (Domestic & International)

• Office-based: 5 days a week at our Abidjan Office

About Caterpillar 

Caterpillar Inc. is the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. For 100 years, we've been helping customers build a better, more sustainable world and are committed and contributing to a reduced-carbon future. Our innovative products and services, backed by our global dealer network, provide exceptional value that helps customers succeed. Caterpillar does business on every continent, principally operating through three primary segments – Construction Industries, Resource Industries and Energy & Transportation – and providing financing and related services through our Financial Products segment.

This Job Description is intended as a general guide to the job duties for this position and is intended for the purpose of establishing the specific salary grade.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as an exhaustive summary of all responsibilities, duties and effort required of employees assigned to this job.  At the discretion of management, this description may be changed at any time to address the evolving needs of the organization.  It is expressly not intended to be a comprehensive list of "essential job functions" as that term is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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Posting Dates:

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply

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